Know the Author: Dustin Grammer
For this installment of our “Know the Author” series, we’re spotlighting Dustin Grammer, a rising voice in independent horror fiction. With titles like Moo, The Other Side of the Graveyard, The Structure, and Dirt Road Tales of Horror, Dustin blends rural dread, dark imagination, and character‑driven storytelling. In this short Q&A, we take a closer look at the author behind the books and the creative path that shaped his work.
Q&A
ZMP: What originally sparked your interest in writing within the horror or paranormal genre?
DG: Seems like horror was present for me from a young age, having been born in the 80's and a young kid through the early 90’s. I was scared of a lot of things, and I grew up around a lot of good storytellers. I can remember being babysat by an aunt and watching Friday the 13th, the 8th one, I believe. I had an older cousin who would tell scary stories about ghosts and werewolves; Pepsi and Doritos had the classic Universal Monsters on their products, and the elementary school library was full of monster books as well. The IT movies came out when I was in Kindergarten, I think, and I can remember kids talking about the “killer clown” a lot at school. So, I guess the combination of influences created the spark.
ZMP: When readers finish one of your books, what’s the one thing you hope stays with them?
DG: First off, I am incredibly thankful to anyone who has finished one of my books, but to answer the question, I would hope that a sense of enjoyment stays with them and also maybe that I scared them just a little…
ZMP: Do you have a writing routine, or do you work whenever inspiration hits?
DG: Inspiration hits me quite frequently, but I mainly write on weekends when I get motivated enough. Once that happens, I tend to put in hours of work at one time. Along the way, especially with my short story collections, I chart out the titles or chapters and add notes detailing draft completion and full edit percentages. I do this to have a visual motivator.
ZMP: Did any real events, people, or places influence the story or research?
DG: Absolutely yes! The majority of my stories and a lot of the characters are created that way. It could be a coworker, family member, or simply someone that I observed in public, as far as the characters go. I do this in hopes of making the characters seem like actual people and not just cardboard victims of the horrors in the stories. I also loosely create stories based on places I have traveled, and a lot of times set the stories in the southeastern states.
ZMP: What are you working on next, or what can readers expect from you in the future?
DG: I probably have a mile worth of notes to work off of, and I try to be careful about announcing what my next book project is, for the simple fact that I switch up a lot between works. I’ve switched projects three times now since the release of “MOO”, but nevertheless, I’m hoping to release another short story collection by the end of the summer. As a goal, I’d like to release at least three more books by 2028.
Dustin Grammer continues to carve his place in independent horror with stories that blend imagination, emotion, and the eerie familiarity of rural life. His work reminds readers that fear often hides in the quiet corners of everyday places. We appreciate Dustin for sharing his time and insight, and we look forward to seeing what dark paths his next project will explore.
ZMP
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